The Game of Repentance
by Aquana-Girl
Summary: "Kari Yagami," Yukimura Seiichi said aloud, talking to his own reflection in the mirror with a ferocious, possessed smirk. "I'll make you pay in place of your brother. We will play the Game of Repentance." (Revised, darker, more intense version up!)
1. Constrains

**The Game of Repentance**

 **Disclaimer:** I neither own Prince of Tennis or Digimon

 **Rating: M**

 **Warnings:** Violence, trauma, mature themes, strong and crude language

 **Summary:** "Kari Yagami," Yukimura Seiichi said aloud, talking to his own reflection in the mirror with a ferocious, possessed smirk. "I'll make you pay in place of your brother. We will play the Game of Repentance." (Revised, darker, more intense version up now!)

 **This is a version that is revised and darker than the original.**

 _Chapter 1: Constrains_

§-§

They sat in the darkened therapist office.

Yukimura Seiichi's face was subjected to the play of light and shadow in the room, which made him look harsher and older but still eerily attractive. However, his blue eyes were not lustrous, but jaded, no longer seeing the future he had seen before; he could no longer attain it. His desired future now lay in ashes.

He was embittered.

In place of him was now an empty shell, a replica of him who had the same appearance, but whose core was completely different.

In front of him sat a woman in her forties, who looked like she was already in her fifties because of the lines graved into her face: his therapist. Faintly, she reminded him of a reversed version of Sumire Ryuuzaki, who was the infamous, female coach of Seigaku with a hot temper and who according to rumors had the ability draw out the hidden potential of _anyone_ she took under her wings, but the woman in front of him seemed to be the polar opposite from her. Quiet, patient, softer. Someone whose ability was not to ignite but to subdue-

-the inner wounds of a tormented mind.

Someone who was specialized in helping people...like him.

How deeply had he fallen, he mused bitterly, hating himself for his weakness.

"I will be frank with you, Yukimura-kun. I cannot give you back what you have lost," she told him sincerely.

"I didn't expect that of you, doctor," he replied, resigned.

"But I can give you something else," she compromised.

"And what would that be?" He asked almost snarkily.

"A state of acceptance."

§-§

It was autumn; the mellowness of spring was already gone. In place its were cool winds, depressing rain clouds, a bleariness in general that was emphasized by the withering maple leafs dying of the trees outside. Cars were parked in front of the block of buildings, which were mostly apartments, among which the office of his therapist was located, and quite isolated from the world. Now he was even more isolated from it. A fitting punishment for his wrongdoings, he guessed.

Yukimura stepped out of the therapist office, through the corridor that was covered with muddy brown carpets that didn't add any delight to the setup, but worsened the sense of desolation the autumn created instead. When he reached the waiting room that was connected to the tiny lobby and reception, he saw a girl with brunette hair, ruby-red eyes and delicate figure he had more than not dreamt about. She had been sitting on the outdated wooden chairs that were softened with green cushions, but immediately stood up when she spot him.

Since the warm months were long over, she was no longer in summer clothes. Long jeans, ankle boots, a thick, long coral pink sweater and finally a white scarf protected her from the cool weather. Another testament to change of seasons. Her sad, lovely eyes looked expectantly at him, and he hated them.

He only cast her an embittered smirk, however, then lowered his head, so that his navy bangs obscured his eyes as he strode past her with hands in his pocket, heading towards the door that was separated from him only by a short distance.

§-§

 **5 Months Ago...**

 _I want everything that constrains me to be gone._

It was raining.

Kari Yagami toyed with the thought of drowning herself in the rain as her ruby eyes stared dully at the needles of water that fell from the ashen sky. Those needles saturated the campus, forcing the students to seek shelter from it.

She was among those, as she huddled in front of the Universities' library, now half-dry from the overhang of the building's roof, but the emphasis lay on half. The rain had still managed to surprise and soak partially her before, but she noticed the chill until it had seeped right to her bones. Only, then she noticed that her skin had been half-frozen was but did nothing against it, not caring about it. Despite her long-sleeved, black shirt and her long jeans she was under-dressed for this kind of weather, while everyone else would've rushed to a dryer, warmer place Kari Yagami didn't.

She just ignored it as she absentmindedly observed the other students on the campus without even flinching from the cold. Some of the students rushed from faculty to faculty, while some others simply stayed beneath the faculties' overhang, all having the sole intent to stay dry. But of course there was a third category: there were some who weren't afraid of the rain and ran through it to the train-station, not caring about how soaked they got in the process.

Kari was not one of them, even though she was quite good at ignoring the rain, but her indifference to it was more feigned than not. She hated the rain with a passion; it brought nothing but misery to her. A certain kind of memory that she loathed so much it hurt.

The sound of the water needles from the sky was rhythmic, almost hypnotic, and would've been enjoyable, even for people who didn't like the train. For Kari, however, there was nothing enjoyable about it.

Somehow her desolate, bitter thoughts spiraled out of control, resulting in the cruel prank her senses decided to play on her.

The scent of the rain underwent a sickening metamorphose, no longer smelling of wet leafs, stones and earth, but of a sickeningly sweet, rotten odor instead; an unnamed kind of wash-powder that was interlaced with an overpowering, decaying vanilla-scent.

The kind of scent that woman loved to use.

Kari suddenly wanted to vomit and to crawl out of her skin, her head spinning with the vertigo caused by the hallucination. She needed to seek shelter somewhere else before she could her nausea could grow worse and subject her to it, deciding to quickly enter the library, practically ripping the heavy glass door open in her haste.

Immediately the warmth of the interior, the warm brown hues of the spacious University library and the pleasant chatters of the students greeted her- the nausea smell was gone.

Kari felt a minuscule sense of liberation.

With a sense of curiosity she thought no longer existed, she looked around in the library.

At the very right was a niche, reminiscent to a lobby with its window benches that some of students used as a sitting place and with its small coffee-machine that was designed for those who needed refreshment. The students seemed to be oblivious to the weather, totally lost in the conversations with the others. The chocolate-brown carpets and walls created a kind of warmth that had been absent her entire childhood.

She liked it here.

It was a...nice place.

Completely different from the dirty, dark house she had been forced to grow up in during her childhood years.

She glanced at the windows again, estimating from what she saw that she wouldn't be able to get home in the next half an hour. So she might as well do something useful instead of waiting for the time to crawl by.

Suddenly she remembered the 10-pages essay her professor had told them beforehand about; it wasn't due until a couple of months, but she might as well prepare for it now.

Literary resources were going to be of absolute necessity her professor had pointed out.

First, she needed and decided to register for a reader pass in the library. The reception counter that was isolated behind glass panels, and the person in charge was a nice, old man who in charge. He registered her quickly and slipped the laminated library card with her ID under the glass after he was done.

Kari thanked him with a blank, jaded smile, but the old man seemed to be overjoyed by the tiny gesture alone and enthusiastically bid her goodbye.

She walked to the entrance that led to the book sections and that was secured by an alarm system. Behind it was a sector that was equipped with several service spots, all of them were designed for self-use- except for one. The only exception was obviously a service-and info point for which an expert staff was in charge for and to help the customers, but it was currently empty.

However, that was momentarily unimportant for her as she headed to the staircase that was made of metal in search for the department that was of significance for her. Kari was not exactly enthusiastic in her search but she found the department of Media Science and Art nonetheless; it was on the third floor. She checked out the shelves and magically spotted three books that caught her interest and that would be of no use for her 10-pages essay, but she wanted them nevertheless. She decided to borrow them and left the department, going back from where she came from. She returned to the several service points sector to check out her books, but unfortunately she had no idea how to use those machines.

The only option left was to receive help from the service and info point, which was now fortunately occupied.

Kari saw the attractive backside of the young man in charge for it. From behind, she saw that he was tall, toned and slender in statue, which was accentuated by the sharp cut of his navy-blue blazer, its color being on par with his wavy hair in terms of shade. The fall of his wavy hair across his strong, pale nape fascinated to her, and she suddenly had the mad urge to lick his skin. She must've been crazy. With a cough, she forced the blush on her cheeks to disappear as her eyes kept on watching him curiously.

He was typing something into the second on the counter while holding a book open; she guessed he was probably typing the meta-data into the system. She approached him with odd sense of anticipation, of foreboding as if this encounter was going to be special.

When she stood at the service point counter, his back was still facing her; he hadn't heard her coming since the carpeted floor had swallowed any wet sounds her pink Chucks could've possibly made.

"Excuse me," Kari said nervously, not knowing why her heart was beating so hard while leaning a little forward on the counter. "Can you help me?"

"Yes," he responded curtly. "Just one moment."

He finished what he was typing and turned around to take care of her, or to be more exact of whatever she had wanted from him as a customer.

Kari's crimson eyes widened when she saw his face-

\- he was not a stranger.

She recognized him as the beautiful boy with the angry, embittered eyes that burned for vengeance as he stood alongside the police team inside her family's house. That was the first time she had seen him, and remembered back then that she had been curious, not so jaded and old on the inside.

"Yukimura-san…"

"Hello little rabbit," he greeted her mockingly. If he was surprised to see her, he was good at hiding it. In the next moment, he allowed a provocative smirk to curl on his lips. " You have grown taller in the time we haven't seen each other. Even prettier. And it seems that you've gotten rid of the habit to hide behind your parents."

She blushed involuntary. "Don't bring that up. It was a long time ago."

"Five years to be exact," he stated.

She was swamped by an unwanted flood of memories about the day they had met. The police had stood before their door, the neighbors had been watching and prying into her family's business with their nosy noses – it had terrified her. The intimidating officers in the powder and navy blue uniforms had terrified her.

That was the real reason why she had hit behind her parents.

The meeting with the police officers had been awful.

But the meeting with the beautiful boy had not been, despite his angry eyes.

He was much taller than her now, less boyish in appearance than he had been four years ago. Now the top of her head barely reached the column of his throat, whereas in the past it had already reached the tip of his nose. His features were more mature now but still somewhat feminine, the contours of his jaw-line having become harder, sharper and his eyes more piercing, but in contrast the delicate curve of his lips and gentle line of his cheekbones had remained. His wavy hair was longer now, and it looked very good on him.

He was so beautiful.

It would've been so easy for him to make a living in the model industry if he had wanted.

The kind of features he possessed were sought after in the model industry, but it was his fascinating beauty which forced you to keep on looking at him, whether you wanted or not, was what would've gotten him on the top.

He inquired, "What can I do for you?"

Kari replied, still nervous, "I wanted to borrow those books... but I'm new here. It's only my first week at the University and I don't really know how to check out at those self-service points."

"That's not a problem. I can check them out for you; it's a part of my job anyway," he assured her, but there was no cordiality in his tone that was like a laceration to her heart.

She said happily, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied but with no real sincerity.

Kari slid the three books she had piled up along with her library ID atop across the counter towards him, and he scanned both under a red-rayed bar-code scanner with such a professional swiftness that it amazed her.

"There you go," he said, sliding the pile of books with the ID library atop back to her.

"Well, the next time you can do that yourself at the self-service points," he told her, his gaze nonverbally demanding her to listen. "First, hold your library ID under the scanner, then your books. The screen will let you know whether it worked or not; you just repeat it as many times as necessary until it works. And when you're done, just print out the library receipt."

"Thank you very much, Yukimura-san," Kari voiced her gratitude shyly, smiling in embarrassment.

"No problem," he replied curtly. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

She purposely misinterpreted it as a question on a more personal level, even though it was obviously only supposed to address any further needs she might have regarding the library business.

"I wasn't aware that you attended this University, let alone that you worked as a librarian," she attempted to start a conversation on a more personal level with, looking bright-eyed with anticipation at him. Only students of this University were allowed to work in the establishments or shops on this campus, and she tried to use that piece of information as a steppingstone for a potential conversation.

"Now you know," he said wryly. Obviously not very fond of a conversation with her, which he made clear to her with his next statement. "Unfortunately, chit-chatting with a customer is _not_ a part of my job, so I hope we could refrain from it," he shot her down coolly, shattering her hopes and eliciting a string of apologies from Kari.

"Of-of course not! I'm sorry to bother you! See you around!" She stammered, grabbed her books, stuffed them into her bag, which she zipped hastily, while sensing the taunting roll of his eyes directed at her. She snuck a glance at him, but as she did so he was already no longer looking at her, causing her to feel a pang of hurt.

Another female student, who had been waiting in line, strode forward and flashed him a big grin in the meanwhile. "~Hi, Yukimura-kun."

He only greeted her with detached politeness, no smile. "Hello."

The female student was average in terms of looks but not discouraged by Yukimura's cool attitude, trying to chat him up while using her eyes and lips flirtatiously. It repulsed Kari, even though he wasn't returning her advances, shooting them down, too. Kari knew she was being irrational; they weren't together, so he was up for grabs for the girls and that included the other brunette.

But the iron, hot band in her chest constricted nevertheless. Kari never had a taste of jealously before when it came to guys, but now she did and somehow the sting of jealously reminded her of the pain, which a cruel girl with pink hair in her childhood used to like inflicting on her. It was so bad that she had to flee from the situation before it became worse, but unbeknownst to her, Yukimura's dark eyes were following her all the way until she had completely disappeared from the library.

§-§

Kari was saturated in the lukewarm of her bathtub, and sighed, recalling the unexpected reunion with Yukimura Seiichi in her mind.

Again, she thought of their first meeting, which had occurred in her adolescence that had been ordinary, unremarkable -unlike her childhood.

Her childhood had been a tale of horror.

Abuse, neglect and the lack of warmth and love had been her and her brother's daily bread- with no hope of salvation. Their parents hadn't cared. The arrival of a new tomorrow that was supposed to bring new chances and hope meant nothing to them; they had been saturated in a blank terror almost every day.

 _They_ meant nothing to their parents.

Who only bothered to put on a show of being loving parents in front of their relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Her parents had been nothing but fucking hypocrites who were cold-blooded enough to leave them in the care of a woman who was psychologically disturbed.

She could still remember it clearly how that woman wasn't human, subjecting them to countless inhuman treatments. That wasn't all, the details of her moldy, cold and dark house had also been burned into the core of her mind, leaving deep, bloody imprints that served as inspiration for her nightmares. The old-fashioned but elaborate staircase, the white tiled floor and the ratty mud-brown couches- the disgustingly sweet odor that washing powder that woman liked to use, she could see and smell almost every detail very clearly.

Suddenly the psychophysical pain caused by the trauma she had suffered in her childhood was back, crawling through her system like worms and spreading through her like an incurable disease. Kari delved under the water until she was completely submerged.

You could do nothing against it.

It will always come back to you for more, destroying all of you without a conscience, with any remorse or guilt.

If the water tangled around her and swallowed her up forever, she probably wouldn't mind.

"Kaariiiiiiii~ I'm hooooome!" Mimi arrived at home, sing-songing through the entire apartment.

Kari startled and jerked up, sitting upright, and despite the unwanted relapse into the time of her abusive childhood, a smile found its way to her lips.

Mimi was there. Everything would be fine now. At least, she wouldn't have to be alone with the abusive woman that always in her mind now.

§

The two girls had spaghetti for dinner. Kari was the one who had cooked since Mimi had the uncanny ability to even burn water.

"The weather was really awful today!" Mimi complained, vexed.

"Yes, it definitely was," Kari replied. "How did you manage to stay dry?"

When Mimi had come home, her clothes were completely dry even though had not taken an umbrella with her.

"I stayed with my people in a coffee shop where we managed to do a good chunk of our project!" Mimi wolfed down a forkful of spaghetti, chewing happily. "We will probably be able to complete it this weekend."

Kari smiled weakly at her own plate of Italian noodles with no real appetite, and commented half-heartedly, "That's good to hear."

"How has your day been?" The other girl asked her in return, and Kari stilled temporary.

"Surprising, I guess," Kari answered.

"Oh in which way?"

"I...saw someone from my teenage time again."

"Oh, is it a boy?" Mimi inquired curiously, such things always piped her interest. She was such a busy-body when it came to that topic.

"Hm, yeah. But I'm not sure," Kari paused to think and smirked wickedly at her roommate afterward. "Maybe you should check."

"Ew!" Mimi shrieked and slapped Kari's shoulder. "That's disgusting."

Kari smiled faintly. "I was just teasing."

"Is he good-looking?" Mimi fired another question, obviously hooked with the subject of their conversation.

Kari rolled her eyes. "All female students in the library must be stalking him."

"Wohooo! That's fantastic. Shall I help you to score with him?"

"Don't be silly, Mimi," she admonished her roommate, shaking her head sadly. "I don't think that he likes me much."

"Aww no way...How comes?"

Kari shrugged. "It's a long story."

"I really don't understand how can he not like you. I mean you are such a sweet girl."

"Thanks, Mimi," Kari said but didn't mean it.

"You know what? _I_ really like you. You were there for me when I needed it the most, not like all the other bitches who only pretended to be my friends because of my parents had money."

Kari bit her lip to refrain herself from saying something hurtful to Mimi.

 _You should be glad that your parents cared about you unlike mine._

Mimi was all bright colors, confidence and cheerfulness in one, everything for which Kari would've killed for, but she didn't voice that aloud. However, the older, more experienced girl _was_ a good friend, always trying to drag her to parties and co to make Kari's life brighter, but more often than not she didn't understand her, couldn't understand her, because they had a completely different past. Mimi's parents were loving, having taken care of her themselves and protected her thorough her entire childhood, whereas her parents had left her in her aunt's abusive hands to rot. Life could be unfair.

Kari only smiled wordlessly at her and reached out to rub her shoulder in a gesture of silent comfort and sympathy.

Mimi chirped and proclaimed loudly, switching from being serious to air-headeded. "I loooove your cooking, Kari.

Suddenly Kari had to chuckle, "Don't you ever get tired of my spaghetti? I make it almost every day after all."

"No! Of course, not! You always put so much effort into it! How could I get tired of eating food that is filled with so much love?"

"Thank you but you still can't worm your way out of doing the dishes."

"Geez, meanie."

Kari laughed. She truly loved Mimi.

§-§

When it was late at night, Kari was already under the covers, in her bed, relishing the cool sensation of the blanket and her nightgown against her skin, looking up at the ceiling, then at Mimi's occupied bed.

The other girl was already sleeping soundly and calmly, her pink-dyed curls streaked by the light that filtered through the half-closed curtains inside. Kari's eyes became half-lidded as she envied her for being able to sleep without being plagued by nightmares unlike her, then she rolled to the side of the wall and closed her eyes.

At the next morning, Kari took the train to the University, the noise of the train and the surrounding drowning everything. Whenever she was in this train, time seemed to stand still.

Then, when she lifted her gaze, she spotted Yukimura amid the crowd, using his smart-phone to look something up with his smart-phone, not having seen her yet.

A couple of female students in Kari's age-range checked him out in between occasional giggles, which wasn't surprisingly since he looked truly good in that blazer and those formal pants like he had been born for them.

Kari suddenly felt hollow on the inside.

When he was done with his smart-phone, he slid it back into his pocket, letting his eyes drift across the train along, over the passengers before they met hers. Somehow he was really good at keeping his surprise at bay; he didn't even battle an eye. He just looked coolly away, turning his body to the opposite direction.

She glanced away with a heavy feeling of emptiness, looking out of the window instead of at him, losing herself in the landscape of trees and streets painted across the glass until she forgot who she was.

§-§

"The media has been a part of our life for a long time since..."

She listened dully to her professor's lecture, sitting in the back rows, feeling swallowed up in the vastness of the hall. However, she wasn't able to retain any information because it all seemed to seep out of her mind again right after she had heard it.

Did the professor care at all who he was teaching? Or were they all just nameless faces to him?

She was certain that it was the latter.

All he saw in front of him were probably just different-colored blotches in different rows, or maybe they were even all the same color to him. Was there a point in asking such pointless questions?

Her brother would have never bothered with such- they were so different in many aspects and that was just one of them.

He had always known exactly what he wanted- unlike her. He had always wanted to become a professional soccer player since he was young and he had chased after his dream with an ambition and fierceness that was unusual, _frightening_ for his age. But sometimes she questioned herself if it was exactly this kind of ambition and fierceness that had created a monster inside him that drove him to ruin someone else's life.

Yukimura Seiichi was in that aspect the same as her brother. Fierce, intense, extreme.

In the back of her mind, the memory of crossed-out photos, which had been secretly taken from Yukimura Seiichi flashed in front of her, raising questions that needed to be answered.

§-§

"And, please think carefully about which topic you want to chose for you 10-pages essay."

The lecture of her professor had ended, and Kari rubbed her head with a sigh. Her brain felt so empty and drained despite the long lecture they just had, meaning she had not really been able to remember much of it. Or maybe, she just didn't care much about remembering it.

Kari dragged herself from the sitting row to the exit, staring dully at the small and big groups of students, feeling left out.

Mimi probably wasn't going to be home yet. It was too early, so she needed something to distract herself with because she didn't want to be alone.

There was only one place in the University that brought her solace.

§-§

Kari went home, discovering that the apartment she shared with Mimi was empty, which meant that her friend hadn't returned from the University, yet.

Their apartment was cozy, more than big enough for two people. They had W-LAN, telephone connection, warm water and electricity for a rent that was wonderfully cheap, even for students. They had been truly lucky with this apartment.

Kari had been truly grateful that she had found Mimi's want ad about needing a roommate and become her roommate, because another apartment might not have been as cheap. And, she still needed to find a part-time job – she was currently living off her student loan.

Discarding her bag with unfinished homework, Kari changed into a shoulderless, homey shirt and a pair of gray shorts. Then, she snuggled on her bed with the book she had borrowed from the library today, flipping through the glossy pages of the book "The Love depicted by Photography", lovingly tracing the black and white photos. The style of those photos was dark, moody and frightening, but she felt morbidly drawn to them, which might not have been a coincidence.

Her slender, graceful finger traced the tall, anorexic trees in the dark, eerie forest of the colored work that had been named "A Fairytale Forest", which was anything but a lullaby for the soul. If anything the sight of it only induced a sense of horror; Kari would've be terrified if she lost herself in it.

Another photograph that ensnare her attention was the one that portrayed a broken, abandoned playground, but this one was colorless, a simple composition of black and white. It depicted demolished swings that could not be used anymore, accentuating the dreadful atmosphere of the playground perfectly.

It was the perfect reflection of her and her brother's childhood. Kari remembered clearly how she had played with her brother on a playground that was frost-bitten and snow-covered by the winter, on a lonely, desolate Sunday, one of the few days where they were allowed to spend outside and not at their aunt's home.

Kari remembered vividly the icy temperature after the snowfall in January and how quickly the fallen snow had melted and froze their hands. According to a classmate's prophecy, a snowman could grant a wish, so she and her brother had tried desperately to build a snowman, but it kept on falling apart. Yet, they kept on trying again and again and again, even though their bare, unprotected hands that screaming at them to stop, wound and reddened from the cold.

It had been so pointless, so hopeless- like everything they did. Maybe they had been cursed- were cursed.

They had been subjected to so much abuse that Kari was sure in the end the true core of their personality had changed beyond recognition- they had become a shadow, a caricature of what they should've have been.

Then suddenly the playground disappeared, and Kari found herself trapped in that Fairytale Forest, searching in blind panic for her brother until she unintentionally walked into the dirty, dark house – the home of the woman who had abused her and Tai for a decade in their childhood. Suddenly she was looming over Kari, a grotesque figure of fat, painted nails and a visage of venom, and Kari tried to scream, only to wake up in a silent scream of terror.

She was panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat that caused her shirt to stick uncomfortably to her skin. The book had fallen shut, laying beside her on the wrinkled blanket. The apartment was still empty, the lights switched on. Mimi hadn't come home yet; she probably out with her friends now.

She realized belatedly that she must have fallen asleep without realization, and slowly her heartbeats started to calm down. With a harsh exhale of breath, she combed a hand through her hair, raking it back.

That woman had come for her again.

She just wanted to just to satisfy her sick perversity by tormenting Kari, even after they were finally separated and Kari who knows how far away from her. Kari was so sick of it. She just wanted everything to be gone, that woman, her parents, her nightmares and including herself.

§-§

At the next morning, she got up earlier than usual, not having been able to sleep well, standing in front of her full body mirror, watching herself. Her own reflection: a girl with ordinary brunette hair and lackluster ruby eyes stared back at her. Dully, Kari adjusted the belt that secured her short jeans, then the shirt that was sleeveless and split into the colors of pink and white.

Today was a moderately warm day; the heavy rain clouds had made room for the sun, which was smiling at Sasakura city. However, the weather of this place could be unpredictable, fluctuating from warm to bitingly cold, and the other way around in the most unexpected times, so Kari stuffed a neatly folded, long gray cardigan into her bag just in case. Shouldering the bag, she paused for a moment before heading to the University, taking the train.

After her lecture, she headed to the library, seeking Yukimura out. First, she deposited her bag in one of the multiple lockers, then weaved her way through the corridors of the ventilated library. Yukimura was absent, nowhere to be seen; someone else was in charge of the service point today, a mid-aged, skinny woman with glasses and frizzy, wheat-colored hair to be exact.

Today, there was no queue at the service point, not a single student to be exact, which Kari didn't find surprising at all.

Kari was hit by a sense of disappointment, but instead of going home she decided to take a look in the Media Science section, changing her previous plans. She needed to distract herself and found an object that would help her mind to focus on something else. It turned out that the section was practically empty except for a handful of students that were writing their term papers in one of the many cozy niches that were equipped with long desks and chairs, especially designed for the purpose.

She spotted the book "The World behind Camera Lenses" in the highest shelf, attempted to get it but with her 5,4 feet it seemed to be an impossible task. In order to get it one had to be at least 5,57, so she raised on her tip-toes in an attempt to reach for the book.

"Come on," she mumbled under her breath.

"Just a bit more," she encouraged herself, even though her fingers didn't even manage to touch the back of the book. With her height, it seemed to be impossible, but she didn't give up. However, a foreign hand took the book out of the shelf on her behalf, ending the agony for her. Kari turned around to thank the person and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

He was 5,83 feet tall.

Yukimura had taken the book from the shelf out for her and was flipping nonchalantly through the book without sparing her a glance.

"Thank you," Kari mumbled shyly.

"Hm...I wasn't aware you were interested in photography," he drawled with detached interest.

"Yes...it's a hobby of mine," she said reluctantly with a blush. "More a passion actually."

He snapped the book shut; if he had been in a good mood before he definitely wasn't in one anymore. "I see."

Then, he held it out to her, Kari accepted the book gratefully and repeated, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he responded and turned on his heels, but she stopped him before he could head to into the opposite direction.

"Yukimura-san!"

He halted and turned around slowly, walking to a nearby a birch-wood library cart, which was positioned at the end of the E3 shelf. Diligently, he began to sort and stack the large number of books loaded on it. His back was facing her.

The Art section was almost completely empty since at this time of the day most of them were still attending lectures. She walked slowly, hesitantly up to him.

"Is there something else you need, Yagami-san?" He inquired without glancing at her.

"I…," she began then swallowed dryly. "What do you think about my brother, Yukimura-san?"

He stopped in his tracks immediately, but decided to play it off coolly.

"What's up with that question?" He turned around and eyed her with an expression of irritation in his blue eyes.

She had hit a nerve with that question.

"I… just want to know," she trailed off.

He looked back on the books and sighed. "It doesn't matter what I think of him, does it?"

"It does!" She exclaimed, then bit her lip when she realized she had just shouted. "At least to me."

"Stop being such a busy-body. I need to work. Please, disturb someone else." There was a hard edge in his voice, which a smarter person would've ignored, but Kari chose to be ignorant to it.

"You must really hate my brother, Yukimura-san. He did that to you after all…ruined your career, but he is not a bad person." By now she had lost herself in her thoughts, talking more to herself than him- maybe she had just wanted to unload her burden on someone else, nothing else.

"Back then in our childhood...our aunt...she wasn't normal. She was psychologically disturbed and our parents knew, but still they left us in her care. They abandoned us. She did horrible things to us in their absence." Kari paused and forgot to breath as remembered how her aunt had beat a landscape of red wells upon Tai's back for disobeying her. And, how she had tried to suffocate Kari under a padded blanket...Kari's vision spun with vertigo as she suddenly felt sick.

"Our parents didn't care about us. They never did. My brother was the only one who took care of me, he always protected me and got hurt in my place. He intentionally drew our aunt's full attention on himself, so she wouldn't hurt me. My brother..is...he is someone really nice, don't you think?" Without realization a sad smile had made its way on Kari's lips, not noticing how hard and dark Yukimura's eyes had become.

"He was just a victim, too," she forced those words out. "He did that to you because he had been abused, not because he was a monster, and I'm sure that if you two had met under different circumstances, things would have been different...I'm sure you wouldn't have hated each other. No on contrary, I think you would've been able to get along very well. Even become close friends, you know? Because you two are very alike. You two love sports so much and-"

Before she knew what had happened, she had already been grabbed by the shoulders and flung viciously against the wall next to her. The force of the impact and Kari expelled cry of pain, looking up at Yukimura through blurred eyes.

" _Shut up, you bitch._ Why are you bringing this up now?! To torment me? How can you even suggest that I would've become close friends with your bastard brother under different circumstance? That fucking bastard ruined me!" Yukimura was yelling at her, his fingers digging hard into her shoulders with enough force to bruise, but she didn't register it.

Kari only lifted her head to look at him with sad, lovely eyes that seemed to see right through him and apologized on behalf of her brother, "I know. I'm sorry about your arm."

Yukimura saw red, swung her against the shelf that stood opposite the white wall, causing several books tumbled to the carpet.

Kari had no time left to react when two foreign hands sought and found her throat, choking her. He

restricted her air-supply by constricting her windpipe with the squeeze of his fingers, and her own hands grabbed at his wrists in blind panic, pulling at them first. It did nothing. Then, she changed her tactics and hit at them and his forearms but that did nothing as well, so in the end her fingers curled around his strong, wide wrist in resignation while she fought the disturbing sensation of having Yukimura's warm, and somewhat feminine hands wrapped tightly around her neck. Slowly black snowflakes began to dance in front of her vision as he lovingly leaned close to her and hissed into her ear, "I know, this is just some sick game to you, bitch."

Her skin tingled from their proximity but there was nothing she could've done to increase the distance between them, consequently deepened sense of helplessness as her glazed eyes strayed to the ceiling.

She made some choking noises before she managed choked out, "Yu-Yukimura-san, I can-t brea-"

"But you should know that it's not a game to me," he drawled coldly, which was the last straw.

"You-you're pathetic," she spat in a half-strangled whisper against all reason, her mind blanking in terror when she realized what she had done and saw how hard his eyes turned.

However, in the next moment, he let go of her, and she collapsed unceremoniously to the floor.

Her hand clutched her throat as she coughed hard in between the interval of rapid inhales and exhales of breaths. She hadn't expected him to react with such a violence; he had been always seemed so cold and unapproachable but she should've known better than to believe that facade. Beneath that cool, indifferent mask of his, lurked an inferno of intense rage and hatred.

And, now she could feel it all the more intensely as he stood above her, staring contemptuously at her.

"You really don't know when to shut up, don't you?" He drawled, but extended a hand to her to her shock. Kari felt a cold rush of terror and scooted back from him until she hit the wall behind her while still covering her throat protectively from him. However, he didn't care about her fear of him as he followed her impassively and reached down to grip her by her upper-arms, hoisting her roughly up against her will. When she swayed, he steadied her until she could stand on her own, then relinquished his grip on her. She stared warily at him, but he just met her stare with an undecipherable one of his own as they made eye-contact, which grew increasingly intense.

In the very same moment, an amused whistle of a nearby male student ripped through the air, snapping them both out of their trance.

"You two are letting hell loose, aren't you?" The bypassing male student teased them cockily with a wolfish grin, wearing a baseball jacket and red cap, clutching a thick college-block under his arm. He obviously believed that she had just indulged in an act of" intimacy and passion" with Yukimura in the publicity of the library, having misinterpreted the reason for their flustered faces, their fervid stares, and the few books scattered across the floor, while the reality had been a different one; Yukimura had assaulted her.

"And, here I thought that two students were fighting when I heard those loud noises. Who would've thought that you're in reality – _having fun with each other,"_ he teased them provocatively.

Then with a wink of his hand, the student retreated from their view to head to the exit, but didn't disappear without giving them a final "advice", which only grated on their nerves."Just be careful to not get caught!"

When he was finally gone, the tension diffused and Yukimura straightened his collar, then glanced at her coolly.

"Tomorrow at five. Meet me in front of the library," he instructed as if he hadn't just assaulted her, and she knew it wasn't a request.

She narrowed her eyes at him and hissed, wondering if he thought of her as stupid. "Why should I?"

He smirked with menace and answered smoothly, "Well, it's your choice whether you want to come or not, but don't you want to know the details of what your brother did to me? Or...Are you too scared to take a look at the real face of your brother?"

Kari pressed her lips into grim line as she pondered hard about what she should do when she suddenly had a flashback about the time when she had discovered some disturbing, crossed-out photos of Yukimura in her brother's room. She needed to disclose the mystery about them and agreed but not without hesitation, "...Fine."

He seemed satisfied. "It's deal then."

Yukimura held out his hand challengingly and Kari eyed his hand warily, before she extended her hand slowly as well and shook his, cementing her words into a promise

Then, he relinquished her hand, but the feel of his warm flesh on hers lingered like a foreboding messenger of bad news. Kari headed to the exit but was stopped by him he called her by her last name, "Yagami."

She halted and looked questioningly at him.

He smirked menacingly. "Thanks for the blow-job."

It took all of her not to snap and slap him so hard across the face that a red mark would bloom.

§-§

At the next day, Kari showed up in the front of the University library with dark circles under her ruby eyes, which indicated that she had not slept well. She was waiting for Yukimura, standing in the sun as students buzzed past her.

It was unexpectedly warm today.

The sun left warm spots on the exposed stretches of skin, which mainly included her left shoulder and her legs. She had wanted to go for longer pants, but it would've been suffocating in the train, which was more often than not crowded.

At five o'clock sharp, Yukimura Seiichi stepped out of the library and greeted at her with a contemptuous look and spiteful smirk upon spotting her, disclosing clearly what he thought of her.

Today, his outfit differed slightly; he was dressed in a blue-gray blazer with a white shirt made of a soft fabric and in place of the usual black pants, a pair of rolled pants in dark blue colors covered his legs. Gone were the semi-formal leather-shoes, substituted for a pair of white sneakers, and she guessed that they were kind of footwear he actually wore in his free time.

The change of his standard outfit was probably due the change of the weather and temperature; light colors would not attract the heat as much as dark ones.

Yukimura approached her and paused when he stood in front of her, taking his time to eye her from the top to the bottom with a dirty leer. Kari flushed, unable to hold his gaze and looked down, wondering if she was just imagining the lingering stare of his eyes at the exposed planes of her skin.

"Nice outfit," he remarked with a smug expression.

Despite the sharp heels of her Chuck boots that increased her height by one inch and she now reached the tip of his chin, she still felt small. Although she had promised herself not to show any weakness in front of him, she was faltering now, unable to even make eye-contact with him. He was deliberately making her uncomfortable, stripping of her of all her defenses until she stood bare and vulnerable in front of him. She felt exposed, naked even.

Yukimura put his hand on the small of her back as if to trap her against him, ignoring her flinch and gently steering her to the direction of the train station.

Taking her home.

But not to hers.

§-§

Stepping into someone else's apartment, their sanctuary was something that Kari was not necessary comfortable with; it always felt strange like a giddy kind of excitement laced with a good amount of discomfort. In Yukimura's case, the feeling was more intense than in the others, the thrill strong enough to make her skin tingle and not in the good way.

At first, Kari didn't even dare to enter his apartment until Yukimura told her in amusement, "Don't just stand at the doorstep and get in. There's no need to be shy."

Kari gathered her courage, remembering why she was here and why she had come with him in first place, finally daring to cross his door-step, enabling him to close the door behind her. At least, he didn't lock it.

Kari felt more like a trapped animal than a guest in his apartment, but tried to calm herself down by inspecting his home.

His bachelor style apartment was rather spacey for single young man but the lack of furniture probably contributed to the generous amount of space. The temperature inside his apartment was cooler than outside, very pleasant, and she attributed that fact to the location of the building. The walls were of his apartment were eggshell-colored, matching the bright ocher floor made of birch wood and the dark rosé curtains. In comparison to the residential community Kari shared with Mimi, this place was tidier than theirs but cold and uncomfortable because of all the space and sharp angles. It certainly lacked the warmth and coziness of their home that invited you to make yourself home and snuggle in wherever you wanted.

Yukimura's apartment lacked that factor; it was nice, clean and efficiently furnished but that was all.

A bed with chocolate-brown covers and pillows, which were both patterned with a flowery design stood at the end of the room, facing the windows with its frame. A small glass table kept the windows company and was used as a laydown area for a sleek, black laptop that was definitely Yukimura's style. Next to the bed stood a desk, matching the other pieces of furniture in terms of color and design, and blending in. A black ebony shelf with books and some decorative, pricey chess-pieces occupied the apartment's left side, along with a closet, where his clothes must've been kept. She imagined that they were all to be either folded neatly or hanged in a tidy manner unlike Mimi's closet. Near the shelf and the closet was the kitchenette along with a dinner table and chairs, which gave the impression as if they were waiting to be used. A black leather couch and a low, elegant green glass coffee-table was positioned a good distance away from the door.

"Give me your bag." He held out his hand as he lingered behind the door, shrugging off his gray converse shoulder-bag that matched his clothes rather well, and Kari shrugged off her bag, too. However, she hesitated before handling him her bag.

"Take a seat," he instructed her with a nod towards the black couch, and couldn't suppress a smirk when she seemed to be too afraid to move. When Kari finally did so, she moved docilely and sat down on the black leather couch, her hands unable to help but to fist on her lap.

"Something to drink?"

"No, thank you," she declined politely but stiffly.

He smirked. "Really not?"

"Really not."

"Not even some water?" He insisted.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

He finally nodded and said, "Fine, suit yourself."

Then, he changed the topic to one that wasn't as casual as he made it out to be. "I need a change of clothes. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. Go ahead, please," she replied again with that stiff politeness, which he obviously found terribly entertaining.

In a few strides, he reached his closet and pulled out a plain shirt, which was white and long-sleeved. Then, he wandered over to his bed, and simply discarded his blazer on the floor without a second thought, which Kari found a little odd. Why was he being so careless with his clothes?

However, his next action was what really threw her off guard.

He pulled his white shirt with buttoned collar-slit over his head, tousling his hair in the process, stripping right in front of her.

Kari flushed as she caught a glimpse of the exposed upper part of his body that was masculine, toned, and bigger than hers.

She took in the taut lines of strong muscles in his chest and back, along with the general bulkiness of his body, the bulkiness of a man's body.

Yukimura was slender but by no means scrawny.

 _He did that on purpose_ , she thought and the rhythm of her heart pulsed in her ears.

And, when he caught her staring at him, he cast her a smug smirk before he finally put on his white, long-sleeved home-shirt that covered the sight of his strong body.

He curled a finger and commanded her softly, "Come here."

When his piercing blue eyes fixated on her, she tensed up and intended to refuse, but he must've read her intent because his gaze hardened into a glare, intimidating her. It was if he had forced his will on her as she walked obediently over to him like a mindless puppet, whose strings were held by him. As she stood in front of him, he smiled reassuringly, luring her into a false sense of security.

She allowed him to enclose the distance between them in two, further steps, and was hit by the scent of his male cologne that smelled familiar to the brand Tai liked to use.

It unnerved her. When Yukimura arched his back to bend down to her, she reflexively turned her head to him and felt how his lips skimmed hers.

"Your idealism of your brother pisses me off."

Then, she found herself grabbed by the arm and flung around, onto the bed behind her, onto _his_ bed. The realization caused her to panic but before she could get up, he climbed on the top of her and blocked her escape by barring his arms on either side of her heard.

"It was the only night I had ever stayed behind in the tennis-club by myself. Despite my position as the captain of Rikkaidai's Fuzoku's tennis team, I put myself in charge of putting the equipment back from the court, dismissing every member. I was in a good mood, an extremely good one. We had won an unofficial tournament against Hyoutei and Shitenhoji after all, so for once I wanted to spoil my team, including the first-years who were actually the ones in charge of that ask. I rushed the regulars to get home, including Sanada, my vice-captain, who offered to help me. I've always wondered what would've happened if I hadn't refused his offer." During the small pause he made, his haunting eyes became void, telling Kari that he was in a place far away, and it frightened her.

"I started to put the equipment back, first the big stuff, then the small. However, I got thirsty from it and took a gulp from my bottle, which I had left unsupervised on the court-bench." He laughed bitterly. "And, then my vision went black. I immediately blacked out. While I was unconscious, I didn't feel anything but...," he paused again as his breathing sped up, becoming irregular. "-by the time I woke again, my dominant arm was bend into the opposite direction of my body. I was literally in a world of pain. The pain was so great that I screamed until I thought I would never be able to speak again. I don't remember the details afterward anymore...I guess that the facility manager of the school must've heard me because I found myself taken to the hospital, where doctors sedated and operated me."

A maniac, menacing smirk twisted on his lips, his sinister blue eyes seeming to be alight with red fury as he gritted out, "They said, " _I was lucky."_ They said that it was a miracle that my arm hadn't been damaged forever; the ruptured nerves and broken bones would heal after a certain period of time. I would even be able to continue working out and playing tennis as a hobby, but playing it on a professional level would be impossible for me from now on. Out of my reach. The hours of intensive training would put a too-great stain on it, so….they suggested it would be better to practice a kind of sport which required a balanced use of both arms."

The more Yukimura talked, the more he seemed to lose himself in the vortex of his memories, his madness, which terrified Kari. His pain, anger and malice was so strong she could feel it nicking at her skin.

"Of course, that was out of question. I had to play tennis no matter what. A ruined arm wasn't going to stop me, or so I thought, but it stopped me, of course. I had to give everything up, including my captainship. My dream was gone. Everything was gone."

His eyes hardened as he finished the retelling of the grotesque, traumatizing incident, and gripped her painfully hard by the shoulders. "And that was all your brother's fault! Two weeks later, the police found out that culprit who was stupid enough to leave a trail of evidence. You know how the story ended."

Kari breathed harder from the fear pooling and spreading in the pit of her stomach, her ruby eyes a reflection of her inner turmoil. Yes, she knew exactly how the story had ended.

It had been her brother, who had committed the crime and ruined Yukimura's arm.

Two weeks later, the police had traced the evidence back to Tai, paying a visit to their house for an interrogation, but Tai hadn't been there. He had been absent; on an air- plane to Germany because had been scouted by a soccer sponsor, who had offered him the chance to play in a professional league.

The police had missed their chance for an interrogation, so they had to wait until Tai arrived in the foreign continent so far away from Japan, before they could contact him.

However, they never did.

His air-plane had never made it.

The manufactures had made a blunder: they used cheap material for the air-plane, so it couldn't withstand the air pressure, and had been literally torn apart 1000 feet in the air, consumed by the flames when it crashed. Everyone died. There had not been a single survivor.

They had seen it the next day in the news.

And, Kari had cried until she thought she would die along with him.

"Why did he do that to me?" Yukimura demanded to know, his voice an icy drawl that snapped her out of her memory that benumbed her.

Kari only turned her head away, pressing her face into the floral-patterned, brown blanket, refusing to answer. Treading into this territory would bring too many memories back that hurt, but Yukimura didn't care as he grabbed her by the chin and wrenched her head back, forcing her to look at him.

"Answer me, bitch! Why did he do that to me?" He yelled at her, and Kari clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to comply.

"No," she whimpered. "I don't want to."

"I said answer me!" He barked angrily, the hand that was large enough to span her entire chin squeezed hard, fingers digging in with bruising force.

"Because he was jealous to you!" Kari finally cried out, involuntary disclosing the truth.

"Why would he be? You just said he was scouted by a soccer sponsor! Are you lying to me?!" He accused her softened his grip when he saw that she was willing to talk.

"My brother had an inferiority complex! He always compared himself to other guys and put them down, in order to feel better about himself. You were so successful back then, everyone admired and liked you, that was why he was really jealous of you," she forced out the words as if they were poisoned.

Understanding drew in Yukimura's blue eyes as he finally let go of her jaw to lose himself in the realization. "I see."

In that moment, Kari seized the opportunity to flee and tried to raise but he simply pushed her back down.

He chuckled bitterly. "So he ruined my arm out of jealously? For such a petty reason?" Then, his resignation changed into rage as he gritted venomously out,"That son of a bitch."

His words alarmed her; but she forced herself to breath as quietly as she could, not daring to draw his attention, which was, however, only a waste of time. He tilted his head down to stare at her, focusing his sole attention on her. She was trembling as he began to gently stroke her hazel-brown hair with his long, elegant fingers, occasionally brushing a stray strand away. "But I know you're different from him." he murmured absentmindedly. "You're one of those people who admire me, ...one of my fans."

His tender administration and his eerie intonation were beginning to scare her. "Yu-Yukimura-san?"

"Too bad that you're not him, but I guess that's alright." he muttered more to himself than her before dragging his hand lower from her hair to her throat, and she froze, trying to stabilize her breathing. His thumb grazed the base of her vulnerable throat before tracing mocking circles making how easy it would've been for to choke her again.

"'ll just have you instead of him," he finished and pressed his thumb against her throat, applying a discomforting pressure on her windpipe.

"No!" Kari screamed and shoved him off, succeeding because he let her out of surprise. However, she could not get far as he caught her arm from behind and pulled her back against him, locking his arms around her in a mockery of an embrace, clinching her from behind.

He dipped his head down to press his mouth against the exposed stretch of skin on her nape with the intent to make her skin crawl. "You can take his place," Yukimura breathed hotly against the back of her neck. "I'll make you mine. You can pay in place of him."

"No, I don't want to!" Kari screamed and slammed the back of her head against him, hitting the lower part of his face, forcing him to cry out and let her go. The impact had been hard, but the adrenaline prevented her from seeing stars, even though her head hurt.

Yukimura had been knocked off her and was now covering the lower part of his face, but through the gap of his fingers she could see a trail of blood running down his jawline. However, she didn't care. She didn't linger and seized the chance to scramble away, but he hadn't been as stunned as she had expected. He lunged for her and managed to snatch her ankle, yanking her back just as she was about to get off the bed, causing her to smash her face against the frame of the bed with a high-pitched scream.

"No, you don't!" He hissed, absolutely infuriated.

He dragged her back and knelt above her again, pinning her wrists down on either sides of her head, glaring at her with a fury that seemed to penetrate her.

The corner of his lip was cracked, split open.

"You fucking bitch," he growled at her. "You're going to regret that."

"Let me go!" Kari demanded as she twisted fearfully in his grip, but he was so much stronger than her, not even seeming to register that he was holding down.

"Stop pretending already. You want to be fucked by me, don't you? I bet that after your brother's death that it was all you could think about: a man's cock inside you."

Kari saw red, something snapped inside her as she lifted her knee and slammed it as hard as she could from her position against his groin, between his legs. Yukimura's eyes watered instantly, and his lower-lip quivered in a silent scream of pure, unadulterated agony, which he was incapable of crying out. He looked as if at the verge of vomiting, but at the same time he was gasping for air, hyperventilating temporary while clutching his bruised balls.

Inevitably he collapsed on the top of her, his hard, toned body slumping against her; Kari froze as he hyperventilated into the pillow, next to her ear, forcing herself to stay calm, even though his agony was terrifying her.

Careful to not to hurt him any further, she gripped his shoulders and pushed him off her as gently as she could, turning him on his back, knowing that it was pure luck he was fighting her. Then, she made a sprint for the door as if he was still capable of hurting her in his pitiful state and grabbed her abandoned bag, disappearing from his apartment while making a prayer.

She prayed that she would never have to see it again.

§-§

Five hours later...

Kari huddled under the security of her warm blanket, in her living community, which was empty; Mimi had informed her through a text message that was spending the night at a friend's place she hadn't seen in a long time.

So with nothing but shadows and the light from outside as company, Kari clutched the old soccer ball that belonged to her brother and with which they had played often as children. The ball was covered with dried dirt from the days when they had played on the grass fields soccer in the summer, the only season when they had a little piece of solace.

Her brother was a good guy. He had always protected her from their abusive aunt. Taken care of her when their parents hadn't.

Kari's dull ruby eyes stared at the empty space in front of her as she clutched the ball harder.

He would never hurt someone else out of spite, out of jealously like it had been the case with Yukimura Seiichi, the man who was supposed to dominate the professional league of tennis.

But what Yukimura had told her must've been the truth because everything fit together like a puzzle.

Tai's inferiority complex caused by their aunt's abuse. His need to put other guys down.

The photos of Yukimura standing on the court as the captain, which he must've secretly taken and crossed-out with black eddying, and hid in his desk-drawer that had been secured with a lock.

Her brother wasn't a bad guy.

Her brother wasn't a bad guy.

He hadn't destroyed Yukimura's career out of spite...

Kari repeated those thoughts like an obsessive mantra in her head as if they could change reality

§-§

Yukimura stood in front of the wash-basin mirror with the harsh, white fluorescent light cast across grim, angry features that made him look uncharacteristically ferocious. He was half-naked, only dressed in pair of black and blue boxers, his hands curled loosely into closed-fists at his sides.

The pain of his groin was long gone, had subsided already without any medical treatment, but his split-lip was still there, a stigma which that bitch had left on him. She had marked him, and he was furious.

It had been such a long time since he had felt such a pure, unadulterated anger. The only kind of emotion he had felt in the past three years was the kind of resentment towards that fucking bastard, which ate him up from the inside, leaving him hollow and embittered.

But she had stirred other feelings inside him, feelings that made him look forward to seeing her terrified face again.

"Kari Yagami," he said aloud, talking to his own reflection in the mirror with a ferocious, possessed smirk. "I'll make you pay in place of your brother. I will play the Game of Repentance with you."


	2. The Game we Play, Part I

_**Chapter 2:**_ _The Game We Play_

 _Part I_

§-§

 _White roses everywhere._

 _They were everywhere, affecting the surrounding with their beauty, their scent._

 _It was raining harshly but only a handful of them were carrying an umbrella, allowing the rain to fall on them in a torrent of tiny needles._

 _The invited guests attended Tai Yagami's funeral, mourning for him, holding either a small bouquet of them or just a single one, in order to give them to the deceased. They were all dressed in black, but some of the funeral attenders used the white flowers as a courteous, albeit striking accessory, the women had them embroidered them in their hair while the men kept them in their breast pocket._

 _Kari Yagami seemed to be the only one who was wearing a single beautiful black rose in her hair, because she was the only one who knew of her brother's hatred for those white flowers that symbolized loss. Their life had seemed to consist of loss, even now, so rubbing it into his face by wearing that flower so demonstratively was something Kari couldn't do._

 _Besides, the black rose in her ear blended in with her black, funeral lace dress so much better than a white flower would've. Her black, short cardigan barely protected her from the rain and the chill, which seeped right through the fabric and crawled over her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake._

 _Kari, too, was holding a single white rose in her hand since she couldn't stand out too much, having to obey the funeral code of conduct._

" _When we think of Tai Yagami, we remember how much he loved to play in the open field, under the limitless blue sky, dictating his life to his passion, to soccer. He had been a truly free spirits, and he had been loved by everyone around him. We will always remember his smile and his courage, with which he faced tomorrow, " the priest was giving his speech, and the audience was silent, deeply moved, mourning with inner turmoil that was triggered by the profound words._

 _"We gather here today to celebrate the life of Tai Yagami, who has now returned to her home with Our God, The Father," the priest finished, and the audience applauded deeply saddened._

 _Then, the ritual of blessing the deceased with the white flowers began. They threw the white roses onto his sealed coffin, first the parents, then Kari and the remaining others, observing a respective order. If they just knew how much he hated those flowers..._

 _They were a symbol of loss, mocking him and all his efforts._

 _It was so cruel that Kari didn't want to watch._

 _After the burial was over, the guests began to talk, expressing their condolences to Kari's parents, who were putting on quite a convincing show of being the perfect role-models who loved their son above everything, which was a blank, ugly lie. They gave a shit about Tai. They had left him in the care of his aunt's care to rot until he had almost become mad from all the physical and psychological torment, from all the injustice._

" _He was such a good child," her mother, a useless housewife, sobbed. "I loved him so much and took care of him as well as I could."_

 _The last piece of Kari's innocence had been smashed irreversibly into tiny shards of glass and then been grounded into dust; that part of her seemed to have died in that very moment. Her mind blanked as she walked away from the funeral with the sole intent to get away from her parents and deeper into the dense greenery of the graveyard. Her black high heels stepped on twigs that crunched beneath with every step Kari took, but she was too numb to register those sounds, which would've frightened her if she had been more lucid._

 _It started to rain harder, but Kari kept on walking and walking, even as her body was zapped out of her due the excessive stress that took a toll on her. Eventually, her body gave out, and she had to slump against one of the thick, hollow trees, breathing harshly._

 _-a thick twig snapped under a polished black leather shoe behind her._

 _Kari jumped, whirling around while vocalizing her question, "Who is there?!"_

 _She came to face with the beautiful boy who had accompanied the police four days ago, standing beside them for an interrogation that never took place._

" _Are you alright?" He asked her, sounding surprisingly concerned despite his nonchalant posture was showcased by his hands in his pockets._

 _He was wearing a navy-blue suit, and he must've been the only one who kept an artificially created blue rose in his left breast-pocket._

" _Why would you care?" She retorted hostilely._

" _Good question," he responded. "What makes you think I do?"_

" _Leave if you're just here to make fun of me," she demanded from him, her anger getting the upper-hand of her despite everything._

" _There is no need to be so hostile, I'm not here to make fun of you," he conciliated her, then walked closer to her; enclosing their physical distance enclosed but not their emotional._

" _No, you're here to make fun of my brother," she hissed._

 _He smiled mirthlessly at that, "I wouldn't dare. I'm just here to pay my respects to him since your parents invited me to his funeral."_

 _Yes, that was the truth. Her parents had invited him, apologizing in Tai's place to him over and over again, lamenting how ashamed they were of their own son. However, her parents had an ulterior motive in their mind: they only blatantly kissed the former Rikkadai captain's ass, so he wouldn't ruin their reputation by exposing Tai's crime. Even now, they were just thinking about themselves. They hadn't changed at all._

 _The beautiful boy had kept a blank expression, but when her parents were done he had smiled and reassured them that it hadn't been their fault with a convincing sincerity._

 _Kari had been aghast at his ability to smile so honestly in such a situation but she believed him to be fake unlike her parents- she had doubted his sincerity. When she caught the hard glare he had directed at them after they had turned away from them, his dishonestly had been confirmed. He was a shady character, a smooth liar, someone capable of lying without flinching and from whom she should stay far, far away but in that moment she didn't care._

 _There was nothing except the rain that patterned the landscape, the greenery of the graveyard and the scent of the nearby forest, which temporary made her forgot about Yukimura's presence._

 _She didn't know for how long she had stayed under the hollow tree that barely protected her from the rain, causing her to still get away, but Yukimura had stayed with her. He wasn't seeking shelter from the rain at all, willingly letting it pelt him._

" _If you stay here, you will catch a nasty cold. Let's go back," he reasoned._

" _I don't want to go back to those people who only care about my brother when it's convenient for them!" Kari argued, clinging to the bark of the tree-trunk, remembering how angry she at her parents for their denial of having neglected their own child._

" _This society is full of hypocrites, don't you think?" Yukimura asked her bitterly, shocking her._

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Your parents are really some hypocrites, don't you think?" He stated rhetorically, already knowing the answer, while reaching into his pocket to retrieve a package of Marlboro cigarettes and a lighter. He shook a single cigarette out of the package and removed it smoothly with his teeth, slipping the package back afterward. Shielding the butt of the cigarette with his hand, he lit it with his lighter. It was a miracle that the cigarette hadn't gone out considering the rain, but she guessed that with this boy, who had been termed "The Child of God" everything was possible._

 _He took a long, sufficient drag, then breathed out the smoke and addressed Kari with a poignant, penetrative look. "This world is full of hypocrites, but if you let them ruin you it's your own fault. "_

 _Kari had been taken back by his words and was loss for words, but had to admit that he was right; her parents had ruined enough. She wouldn't let them ruin more._

 _When he locked gaze with her again, he suggested once more, "Let's go back."_

 _This time, she went with him._

 _In the end, she had no doubts that he had stayed with her solely out of compassion despite what her brother had done to him. He was truly kind at heart, and she was truly glad that her brother hadn't been able to change that._

§-§

Kari woke up, drenched in cold sweat. The football was no longer digging against her stomach but had rolled to the side instead leaving a bump in the blanket.

What time was it?

The pitch-black sky outside suggested that it was still late at night, and she guessed it was about three o'clock in the morning. It was the usual time she woke up.

The bed beside her was empty. Of course, Mimi was staying over at a friend's.

Kari rolled onto her other side, recalling her dream briefly but didn't dwell on it. It was meaningless now because this Yukimura was no longer the Yukimura she had met five years ago, this one was an unrecognizable stranger.

Kari closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep, this time it was a blessedly dreamless one.

§-§

The next day Kari woke up groggily at 10 o'clock. The lectures had already begun, but she had been thinking about skipping University for today anyway, and climbed out of her bed, almost tripping over the blanket that tangled around her legs in the process. She went to the bathroom, took a shower, brushed her teeth and showered, preparing for the day in general. The shower chased her grogginess away but not her brain fog that resulted from the bad night's sleep; the fog was still obscuring her mind, making her daily routine difficult.

Her stomach growled angrily, having been deprived of its breakfast. Kari made herself some toast and egg, but her hunger wasn't sated from such a meager meal, so she decided to make some pasta- the only dish she was actually capable of cooking. She boiled some water in a pot, filled it with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Then, she waited before putting in a good amount of Penne pasta to cook them. In the meanwhile, she made some instant tomato source but she was unconcentrated, so she spilled the red powder inside the package and she cursed her bag luck.

Today's pasta making session was ripe with it.

The Penne noodles ended up being overcooked, soggy and awful. Yet, Kari still set the table and ate the food that was tasteless in her mouth as she forced herself not to think about the young man with the jaded eyes and ferocious smile, who was cruel and kind in the same breath.

And, finally her bad luck seemed to end when Mimi came home, announcing her arrival with a loud sing-song like she always did. "Kaaaaaaaaari! I'm hooome~"

Mimi was wearing a pale trench-coat and boots, her arms loaded with shopping bags, and as well as her turquoise leather handbag that contained her notes and books, adorned with an artificial flower made from the same material.

"I had a lecture at 8 o'clock in the morning, so I had to go to the University right after saying goodbye to Sora," Mimi exclaimed. "We had a great shopping tour yesterday!"

"I'm glad to hear," Kari said with a smile, then offered weakly, "Want some pasta? But be aware, it didn't turn out very good this time."

"Actually, I'm craving some caffeine and something sweet. Are you up for the coffee shop at the University. You could get a bagel or something," Mimi suggested, which sounded like a good to Kari, considering her soggy pasta.

Kari smiled weakly.

"A bagel sounds good."

§-§

In the end, Kari had ordered a strawberry frappé and a sandwich at the coffee shop near the University. It turned out that it had rained overnight, and that the temperature had cooled off, so the short summer clothes she had worn in the past days wouldn't suffice anymore. Kari had opted for long jeans, a long-sleeved pink shirt that revealed a shoulder and an ocker trench coat instead, which now hung at the back of her chair.

Mimi had ordered a latte macchiato and a strawberry doughnut for herself, sitting with Kari behind the window-plane that ran from the ceiling to the floor and was branded with the coffee shop's logo. They chatted for a short amount of time, complaining about the work-load of the University (while they would probably have less to complain about if they had been less lazy and started earlier), about how some of the female students had the fashion taste of a grandmother, about how eccentric some of their professors were, and other juicy gossip topics. However, during that period rain clouds formed and swirled in the sky, painting the entire, endless expanse ash-gray.

It started to rain and the temperatures dropped- even inside the coffee shop the drop was noticeable for Kari and Mimi since they were sitting right behind the window.

"Oh no, it's raining!" Mimi commented. "And, I didn't bring an umbrella!"

Kari frowned. "Looks like we are going to be struck in here for a while."

However, it turned out to be less awful than they had expected. When Mimi hit the next topic, which resolved about her new crush whom she had met in one of the many parties she attended, their dismay about the rain was quickly forgotten. They became deeply engrossed in their conversation but had to pause temporary when Mimi craved another latte macchiato, ordering one at the counter.

So Kari was quite startled when a small plate with a strawberry doughnut was placed in front of her by someone behind her while she was sitting alone during Mimi's absence. She turned frantically around to see that it was the second barista in the half-crowded coffee-shop, who had brought her the doughnut.

"Erm...excuse me but I didn't order this," she pointed out nervously.

The barista grinned, obviously knowing a secret she didn't.

"I know. It's from the gentleman over there; from the guy with the blue hair," he revealed.

Kari nearly had a heart-attack upon the mention of a young man with blue hair, immediately jumping to one conclusion...

 _...Yukimura!_

However, when the barista jerked his thumb to a certain young man, Kari realized that he wasn't Yukimura; she couldn't recognize him at all. The male stranger was stirring his to-go-coffee in front of the counter that was equipped with all the necessities that might be needed by coffee-shop guests.

Apart from his blue hair that was tied into a high ponytail, a hairstyle which Yukimura would've never considered, and his pale skin, there was only a faint similarity between them. Sure, they were the same type, of course, tall, dark with eye-catching looks, but it was obvious that they would be completely different in terms of personality. Yukimura would've never let someone else establish contact with the subject of his interest in place of him.

His eyebrows were bushier than Yukimura's and eyes that were the palest turquoise she had ever seen were smiling, not glowering. He seemed to be taller than Yukimura as well, even though his built was roughly the same as the librarian's on first glance, slender yet strong and muscular under the sharp cut of his black pea-coat.

"Please enjoy," the barista told her cordially and walked away when the handsome stranger approached her; the dissimilarity between Yukimura and him grew increasingly stronger with each step he took.

His facial features were less delicate than Yukimura's, much more masculine. A strong jawline, high but hard-contoured cheekbones and a long, high-bridged nose along with the palest turquoise eyes was the set of which his handsomeness was composed of. Furthermore, Kari noted that his hands with which he held the paper coffee cup were more rough-looking and masculine than the librarian's as her eyes traveled further down.

He greeted her with a cockiness that was only common for men with his caliber of looks. "You're even prettier up-close."

"Errr...thanks?" Kari said nervously, searching nervously for Mimi and finding her struck at the long queue at the counter, which demolished her hopes of being rescued by her roommate.

"You're a student of this University, too, right?" He asked and took a sip from his coffee.

"Yes, that's right."

He smirked, seeming very satisfied with her answer. "I'm Nemu, it's rare to meet a girl who is as pretty as you."

"I'm Kari," she murmured, belatedly realizing that he had tricked her into being on a first name basis with him, and rolled her eyes. "Thanks for giving me such a shallow compliment."

" _Be_ flattered, Kari. I have high standards after all," he told her with a cocky grin. "Do hang often around in this coffee-shop?"

"Mmmhh...sometimes?"

"Great, I'll see you around, then. Unfortunately my next lecture is waiting for me, so I need to go. Give me a call," he finished with a wink and a rub on her shoulder, which really threw Kari off guard.

"But how-"

However, he had headed to the exit before she could finish her question. Kari wondered if he had just made fun of her but when she turned back to her doughnut, she saw that there was something written on the napkin below the sugar-glazed snack. She lifted it from below the doughnut to see that he had scribbled his phone number on the piece of white napkin and mused wryly.

 _Such a sly fox._

Only a few moments later Mimi joined her, obviously not having seen what had just happened because otherwise she would've certainly assaulted her with one question after another regarding the young man who had just flirted so boisterously with her.

"Hey Kari, when did you get that doughnut?" Mimi inquired, puzzled by the desert that suddenly occupied the previously empty space in on the table, and put her own tall, slender glass of latte macchiato down on her own side.

"Just now," Kari lied, wanting to keep the truth for herself, bunching the napkin inside her pocket. "I asked the second barista to get me that."

Mimi humphed and crossed her arms. "I should've done the same."

§-§

After she had gone home with Mimi, Kari was suddenly assault by an onslaught of nostalgia. Maybe it was because of the weather or maybe she just unconsciously wanted to distract herself since Mimi had gone out to buy some groceries and new notebooks, but Kari had wanted to reminisce out of, so she wandered absentmindedly to the bookshelf and pulled out a box.

It was navy-blue, containing and conserving a certain stage of her life.

A thick, glossy magazine and a pink Sony Ericsson digital camera laid inside.

It was the 200th issue of the "Digitalized World", a photography magazine which held amateur photograph contests, displaying the winners' work to public.

This one had been published four years ago, one year after her brother's death, and Kari flipped straight to page 62 without any detours, her eyes glossing over when she reached the wanted page.

 **Winner of the Photography Contest:**

 **1\. Kari Yagami**

2\. Tachibana Ann

3\. Zoe Orimoto

One year after her brother's death, she had fiercely, desperately tried to distract herself with something and temporary found her refuge in photography. With the help of photos, she was able to seal moments for eternity. She took advantage of that and captivated her emotions on a series of photos that all differed in terms of motives, but they all had showcased the inner world of _her brother._

Apparently the judge had liked them so much that they declared her as the winner. They had commented below her photographs that it reflected precisely how people felt in nowadays society: lost, confused, trapped.

But not even though, she had won the first place of a photography contest and with that a prize money of 75,000 Yen, it had not made her happy. It hadn't brought her brother back, something which she had wanted above everything else, but she partaken in the contest out of a whim just to see if she could be as fiercely ambitious as her brother.

But even though she had proven herself that she could, the taste of victory had been bland, even bitter afterward.

Kari took the Sony Ericson camera into her hands and switched it on, the device slowly coming to life due the weak battery; she had occasionally recharged it because she used the in transitional months before she had attended University for the first time.

First, she flipped through the photos saved on the memory card. The photos she had taken after the contest were less depressive, more neutral in nature, depicting parks, lakes, people strolling through shopping districts and so on.

"Oh, such a pretty camera!" Mimi suddenly remarked beside her, startling Kari, who jumped out of her skin.

"Mimi! When did you come back?"

"Just now. I just said hello, but I guess you didn't heard me," her roommate stated with a shrug, and Kari glowered at her in embarrassment.

"Is there still some space left on the memory card? If yes, then take a picture of me!" Mimi requested promptly, and Kari was a little thrown of guard by the request but agreed nonetheless, guessing it wouldn't hurt

"Sure."

Mimi grinned goofily and made a v-sign with her fingers, posing for the camera as Kari targeted her with its sensor and sealed the moment in a snapshot.

"Okay, all done," Kari exclaimed and together they curiously, eagerly huddled together to have a look at the photo just taken.

In the sensor back of the digital camera Mimi's face was captivated, and she looked stunning, all feminine features and lovely hazel-brown eyes. Mimi Tachikawa was with no doubts an extremely gorgeous girl, who had more admirers than she could count and such a huge dose of confidence that was rare for her age group. She had no fears of the future, and she wasn't intimidated by all the things she still needed to archive such as success that came with fame and wealth, but maybe that could be contributed to the fact that Mimi's parents were already loaded with money.

However – unlike her, Mimi wasn't afraid of her flaws and could accept all of them, something that Kari couldn't do. It made her a little envious of her, even though she never showed it.

"You look beautiful, Mimi," Kari complimented her kindly, stating the truth.

"Thanks a bunch, Kari," Mimi exclaimed, pressed her closed hand against her lips to suppress a giggle, which made Kari smile.

Just giving her a compliment about her looks made Mimi so happy, but that was something that wouldn't have been the case for Kari. Kari would've wanted something else or something more, she guessed and the thought souring her good mood as she shut down her camera, putting it back into the box. However, when she put the box back into the shelf and her eyes strayed to another pile of books inside, she froze.

The books from the library!

Oh no!

They were all due tomorrow! If she didn't return them in time, she would've to pay a nasty fee, 5,00 yen per book, which meant that she would've to pay 25,00 yen altogether!

She would've to go to the library tomorrow whether she wanted or not, even if that meant having to take the risk of meeting Yukimura.

§-§

At the next morning, things hadn't gone well. She had overslept, so that meant she wouldn't be able to return the books in the morning, but had to do so in the afternoon, something she had desperately wanted to avoid that at all cost.

Yukimura seemed to be always working afternoon shifts.

The books were heavy in the cloth-bag she carried with her for the sole purpose of returning them, and randomly Kari remembered that Mimi had wanted something from her in the morning. Kari had agreed with a mumble, half-conscious, still half-asleep- but to what?

What had Mimi wanted?

She guessed that wasn't important now.

Kari had basically sneaked to the self-service points in the library, feeling like a criminal, even though she had done nothing wrong. However, she continuously assaulted by an onslaught of paranoia as she crept across the campus, wondering if Yukimura was among the students watching her.

She thought of his piercing blue eyes that bore into her, intimidated her, taunted her, titillated her...

But it turned out to be just her paranoia.

It seemed to be her lucky day because tall of the self-service point was empty, which was unusual for this time since there was usually a long queue. She hurried to one of them and retrieved her library ID from her purse, scanning it under the bar-code but so hastily that the scanner failed to decipher it properly. Her hand was shaking too badly. The message that " **The I.D couldn't be read properly"** reappeared over and over even as she retried several times, unable to force her hand to calm down.

Kari cursed under her breath as she retried it for the eighth time when suddenly a hand that was masculine and larger than hers wrapped around hers from behind.

"Slow down, little rabbit, or the system won't be able to recognize the I.D," an amused voice advised her, and she froze, recognizing the characteristic dulcet drawl.

"Yu-Yukimura-san," his name escaped her lips in several chopped off whispers.

Slowly and precisely, he guided her hand under the bar-code scanner, so that her I.D. was scanned in a fluid motion, the beep that announced that the identity had been recognized rang out.

A hot breath kissed her ear as he mumbled, "Do you want me to teach you again?"

Kari went rigid before she hissed sharply, _"Don't touch me."_

"Such hostility," he chuckled. "Don't you like me anymore?

"Let go or I'll-"

"Make a scene? Please go ahead," he challenged her with a harsh laugh that made her flinch. "Since you want to be labeled as one of my many crazy stalkers so badly, I'm not going to stop you."

He put his lips against the delicate shell of her lips, and dared her, "Go ahead, call for help."

"You damn bastard," she cursed him angrily under her breath at him, but he was merely amused.

"Thanks for the compliment, sweetheart," he said and closed his teeth around the delicate shell of her ear as he gently bit into it, causing her to tense up and moan involuntary.

"I think you are absolutely crazy. You should consider getting some psychological help," she hissed viciously.

He chuckled malevolently against as he tore up some old, unhealed wounds with schadenfreude. "You would know all about psychological help, wouldn't you?"

Her breath hitched, and it was obviously the kind of reaction he had wanted from her. He knew exactly where her wounds and her insecurities lay and with that how to hurt her. When she recalled how nice he had been in the past, she wondered since when he had become so vicious. She found herself at the verge of crying as she pleaded him not to stop, "Please...don't mention it."

Surprisingly he tensed up behind her, his hand tightening on her wrist in reaction to her plead. She hadn't expected that he would hesistate, that she would actually been able make him hesistate, believing that he didn't care about how hurt she was at all. It took him a while to make up his decision but then he relented and stepped back, releasing her hand in the process. Kari was truly taken back by him, having expected him to go further.

He sauntered over to the side where she had deposited her cloth-bag and unceremoniously shook out all the books inside. Without asking for her permission, he scanned the books under the bar-code scanner and deposited them on the smooth conveyor belt, which swallowed it until it disappeared behind the glass screen.

His movements with calm, smooth and he finished the procedure of returning the books with a professional swiftness, so much faster than if she done so.

He smirked, his head slightly tilted back to the screen behind him. "There is one book missing."

Kari exclaimed with an aghast expression, which only amused him. "What?"

"Look for yourself," he told her, and turned his head away for her to have a better look at the screen.

 **Books returned: 4/5.**

It's the one called 'Media Theory: Fundamentals.' "

Kari went cold, suddenly remembering -what- Mimi had said wanted from her this morning and she had stupidly agreed since she had been still semi-conscious.

"Make sure to return it by tomorrow otherwise the fee is going to increase," he advised her with a little smirk, then turned around to head to the service-point, leaving to her own devices.

§

"Mimi, where is the book you borrowed from me this morning? I need to return it to the library as soon as possible since it's already due," Kari confronted her roommate angrily, who was taken back by her uncharacteristic anger.

"Mike has it. He suggested that we involve some good media theories into the documentary of our art project, so I gave him to it." Mimi explained, then added. "But you agreed to lend me the book."

"Because I was still half-asleep!" Kari almost screamed back, which startled her roommate, then added. "And when can you get it back?"

Mimi mumbled quietly, "Tomorrow."

Kari felt like ripping her hair out when she thought about the fee, which caused Mimi to look guilty

"Look Kari, I'm sorry for having caused you trouble, but don't worry. I will pay the fee since it's my fault that you haven't returned the book, yet," Mimi offered, but Kari just sighed.

"You don't have to do that. I know you didn't mean it."

"But I want to," Mimi insisted.

Kari relented a little, and then a seemingly good idea hit her mind. "Alright...and there is something else I want you to do. Accompany me to the library tomorrow and I'll forgive you."

"Oh, sure...no problem!" Mimi agreed quickly and pulled Kari into a hug, who couldn't help but smile a little to herself.

So, at the next afternoon, the two female students made their way to the library. Mimi paid the fee for her and they returned the book, which caused a burden to drop from Kari's shoulders. However, then Mimi asked her if Kari could show her around in the library, and even though she had declined first, her roommate was persisent, insisting until she gave in.

Something which Kari deeply regretted later.

Together they walked through the corridors of the library, climbed the stairs before they arrived at the department of Art, which was located on the same floor as the department for Media Science

On their way to the shelf "E3", they passed several students. Mimi received a lot of attention from the male students, some of them gazed longingly at her like she was the woman they could never have while some others checked her out, but all of them had one thing in common: their eyes seemed to be permanently glued to her.

The young woman had dyed her hair from a natural hazel-brown to a pale pink, and attached star-clips to it. While the color and accessory should've looked ridiculous, it didn't, on contrary on Mimi it just looked sharp, and spunky, blending well with her large, sweet eyes and creamy skin. Her long legs were exposed by her trendy white skirt and her navel by her belly top, but nevertheless her choice of clothes wasn't too revealing, leaving enough room for the imagination.

Mimi was the complete package when it came to physical appearance: she was gorgeous, feminine and hot. In comparison to her, Kari felt more often than not a little washed out. Just a little.

But then again, Mimi was more a positive influence than not. She always cheered Kari up and supported her, and obviously her roommate's style of fashion had rubbed off her, too, since she had been uncomfortable with showing too much skin before.

Some were diligent, studying intently while some others preferred to chat over non-trivial matters instead, choosing to be lazy. And, there were some others who flipped through some random pages of a book they had picked up from the shelves to see assess the quality of the content. They all made the impression as if they lived in a completely different sphere, having entirely different problems than her, something which aggravated her, souring her mood.

As result, she no longer took care of her surrounding, which turned out to be a mistake when someone walked purposely in front of her, blocking her path. The collision was hard, a little brutal even, which made her upper-arms and chest feel like they would bruises from the impact.

"I'm sorry," a voice apologized with a mocking drawl. "Are you alright, little rabbit?"

Kari froze, not daring to look but knew she had to. "Yukimura-san."

He greeted her with a malevolent smile.

"Kari, what's wrong?" Mimi's voice called from behind snapping her out of her trance.

Upon seeing the eye-catching young man Mimi voice turned several octaves higher and her entire presence seemed to vibrate with curiostiy and excitement. "Oooh, who is this hot guy?" Then, she paused as her eyes sparkled with realization. "Don't tell me he is _the_ _librarian_? I mean the one who is so hot that he has become a stalking victim."

Yukimura was extremely amused by that comment, barely able to suppress his smile. "A stalking victim?Did she really say that about me?"

Mimi giggled. "Yes, she _did._ Maybe not exactly used the same words as I did but she did. But..."

The girl paused and eyed the young librarian in front of her like the Cheshire cat eyed Alice.

"...now I see why she said that. You're totally living up to her description," Mimi stated with a giggle, eyeing him shamelessly from the top of his hairline to the bottom of his leather boots. " _You're a real sight for the eyes."_

Obviously he was used to compliments regarding his looks. He was not that flattered, retraining his cool attitude but played her. "Why, thank you. You're..." He checked her out from the top to the bottom, playing along with her, although it was clear he had no real interest in her. "...not so bad looking yourself."

Kari, who had been pushed into the background, was fuming on the inside, seeing how well Mimi got along with Yukimura, completely ignorant to their history. He must've noticed how she must've felt on the inside because a smirk made its way to his perfect lips and sauntered over to the unoccupied spot beside her and draped his strong arm across her dainty shoulders, ignoring how tense Kari became.

"But sorry to disappoint you. You aren't really my type. I'm more fond of...petite girls, I guess," he claimed, bent down and kissed her hair just for emphasis, causing Mimi to squeal and giggle. Kari, on the other hand, paled.

Mimi pouted, "Geez, meanie." Then, she giggled again. "Hey Kari, I think he is totally smitten with you!"

Mimi's statement, however, snapped Kari out of her state of fear. She tore herself out of his semi-brace and shoved him away from her, her ruby eyes alit with anger. "Dont touch me, you bastard!I can't stand you. _"_

While her roommate was shocked at her display of fury and bad language, Yukimura merely enclosed their distance again and mocked her with feigned hurt. ""How cold of you, _Kari._ Don't you like me anymore?"

Kari was inwardly shocked that he used her given name, addressing her so intimately, but she had no real time to digest it when Mimi slapped a hand on her shoulders. Her roommate had either already digested her shock or assumed that Yukimura and her were bickering out of attraction each other, which was their way of flirting.

"Oh come on, don't be embarassed, Kari. You've a _really_ good taste in men. If he wasn't so taken with you already, I would've collared him already."

Kari choked.

"I really wouldn't mind having a piece of him," her roommate giggled, and Kari wondered if she was actually serious since Mimi certainly seemed to be absolutely charmed by him.

"Too bad," Yukimura drawled. "Just as you said I'm already taken."

"Too bad," Mimi echoed him. "Because I find you really charming."

"Thank you, Miss-"

"Tachikawa. I'm Mimi Tachikawa but you can call me "Mimi," Mimi introduced herself happily.

"Yukimura Seiichi, Tachikawa-san," he extended his hand with a cocky yet charming smirk, and shook hands with her.

Mimi seemed ready to melt into a swooning puddle of goo as her hand was enclosed in Yukimura's larger one, whereas Kari only felt a tingle of anger.

A couple of girls passed by, ogling him shamelessly and giggling in high-pitched tones, which only reinforced Mimi's statement about how what a hot commodity he was. Yukimura smirked at the group of girls that caused them to giggle even harder before they continued their way.

"So... if we have any trouble finding any books, can we come to you?" Mimi asked, resuming the conversation.

"Of course. Whether you've a problem with finding any books, the inter-library loan or..." Yukimura paused to cast a provocative, shadowed gaze at Kari. "-the location of the lavatory-"

Mimi giggled while Kari glared at him, knowing that the innuendo was definitely directed at her, judging by his irritating gaze and smile.

"-you can always come to me for help," Yukimura finished.

Kari was ready to hit him in the face in front of everyone.

He could probably read her thoughts judging by the smug look he was giving her. "Now if you would excuse me, I need to return to my work. The books aren't going to put themselves back into the shelves."

"Of course, we wouldn't want to keep you away from work! And, it was really fun talking to you. Maybe we can keep in touch?" Mimi asked.

"Of course, I would love to," he agreed, obviously with ulterior motives.

"Perfect," Mimi exclaimed. "I will add you on Facebook. Can I find you under your real name?"

"Yes, you can. You'll find me easily there."

Kari wanted to scream at her roommate to stay the hell away from that bastard because he had hurt her on more than just one occasion, but it was obvious that Mimi was completely wrapped around his little pinkie finger, so it would be pointless. She didn't bother trying. While it had taken Kari's months to really open up to and become good friends Mimi, even though they had become roommates already before University had even started, Yukimura had managed to become acquainted with Mimi in just a matter of what felt like ten minutes.

And, Mimi was a picky person when it came to choosing friends- at least when it came to choosing male friends.

"So, let's go home, shall we?" Mimi chirped happily while Kari couldn't help but to glare at her, which she didn't notice, of course, as good as her mood was.

"See you then, girls!" Yukimura winked at them in goodbye, and Kari would've given everything to smash the smugness from his face.

§-§

"Kari, what's wrong? You seem to be angry at me. Is it because I was flirting with your crush? I really sorry about it! It was just a habit-" Mimi asked with great worry when they arrived at their home.

"I'm not angry at you, Mimi," Kari cut her off, contradicting her own words as she practically threw her shoes against the wall after she had crossed the doorstep.

"But you're clearly angry at me," the other older girl said nervously her, causing her to snap unintentionally.

"Look, I don't care if you're flirting with him or not. I know that you flirt with everything that has the right looks, so it's not surprising that you battled your eyes at him, too. But you can relax, that's fine with me. Just keep in mind that he is _not_ my crush. I don't give a damn about him," Kari blurted out, faster than she could process her own words that must have cut Mimi like glass shards because her large, brown eyes teared up.

"Is this how you think about me? I know that I can be a little boy-crazy and vain at times, but I didnt think that you would downright use that against me. I thought we were friends and that I trusted you," Mimi said, obviously hurt.

"Look Mimi I didn't mean that. I don't know what came over me," Kari apologized, immediately sorry about having hauled such hurtful words at her friend, who had always cared about her well-being, always having tried to drag her parties in an attempt to make her enjoy life a little more. And, for the first time she realized that she was thinking about Mimi as her friend. No one was her friend. Four years had passed where she had lived in a shell and forgotten the meaning of friends, but Mimi had managed to break through her barriers, tear down some of her walls and occupy a small space in her empty heart.

Without realization, Kari had begun to care about Mimi as well.

But it was already too late.

Mimi spun around and left the apartment in a fury, slamming the door loudly behind her.

Kari was left behind, alone and lonely.

§-§

However, even without her roommate the time still passed, albeit only very slowly. The weekend had basically crawled and when tomorrow arrived, Kari woke up in her bed, yawning and not feeling rested at all, but it was already time for University. She prepared herself for the day in the bathroom, discovering faint yet present dark circles under her eyes that wouldn't go away no matter how hard she tried to will them away. Having no choice but to ignore them since she always forwent make-up, she put on one of her favorite shirts that exposed one shoulder, a pair of short-jeans and some classic Chucks. Then, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the University, taking the train.

She had one class in the morning, and another one in the afternoon, which was thankfully her last one at the same time. Due an unavoidable change of location, they were now forced to have class in a room where people were able to see everything inside through the green-painted door-windows. In place of long sitting benches were single chairs that were equipped with so called folding platforms that were pitiful substitutes for a real table.

The students groaned but had no choice and accepted their situation. The professor, an elderly man with black horn-rimmed glasses and ocker sweater turned the computer projector on, starting his presentation that contained notes in bullet-point style about " _The Rhetorical Devices of the Media_ "as the students stared dully into their textbooks. However, the time drifted by until she saw a shadow under the roof's overhang of the opposite building, next to the short line of parked cars, and froze.

Yukimura Seiichi was standing under the shadows with nonchalantly crossed arms and a smile just for her, dressed in his favorite trademark clothes. Today he wearing fashionable sunglasses that hid his eyes, and it was an initial shock for her when she realized that it was the first time she had seen him with sunglasses, but she had no time to dwell on that.

Kari felt a frostbite of terror when he went so far to uncross one of his arms and winked at her.


End file.
